Making Plans for Nigel
| Released = | Format = | Recorded = June 1979 | Studio = Townhouse Studios, London | Genre = New wave, post-punk | Length = | Label = Virgin | Writer = Colin Moulding | Producer = Steve Lillywhite | prev_title = Life Begins at the Hop | prev_year = 1979 | next_title = Ten Feet Tall | next_year = 1980 | Misc = }} "Making Plans for Nigel" is a song written by bassist Colin Moulding of the English rock band XTC, released as the lead single from their 1979 album Drums and Wires. The lyrics are told from the point of view of parents who are certain that their son Nigel is "happy in his world", affirming that his future in British Steel "is as good as sealed", and that he "likes to speak and loves to be spoken to". As a response to the song, British Steel reportedly gathered four Sheffield employees named Nigel to talk about job satisfaction for the trade publication Steel News. Its distinctive compressed drum pattern was discovered by accident after a miscommunication between guitarist Andy Partridge and drummer Terry Chambers. Partridge was bothered by the amount of time spent recording the song, remarking that "we spent a week doing Nigel and three weeks doing the rest of the album." According to guitarist Dave Gregory: "Despite glowing press reviews [of Drums and Wires], we were still struggling to fill small theatres in the UK and the brief tour was disappointing. But then, the unthinkable happened -- Nigel got playlisted at the BBC and in early October XTC were back in the charts! And back on Top Of The Pops! Twice!! When we resumed touring in late November, every gig was sold out." The track is considered an early pioneer of the gated reverb effect, and inspired Peter Gabriel to work with producer Steve Lillywhite on his third solo album, which employed a similar technique. The single spent 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. Biographer Chris Twomey wrote that although the single is reported to have reached number 17, it was "later learned that a computer error by the chart compilers had forced the record downwards when it had in fact gone up." The song also reached number 12 on the Canadian chart and remained on the charts there for 22 weeks. In 2016, "Making Plans for Nigel" was ranked number 143 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 best songs of the 1970s. Personnel As provided on the record sleeve:Drums and Wires, Virgin Records, 1979 - record sleeve XTC *Andy Partridge – vocals, guitars, synthesizers *Colin Moulding – vocals, bass *Dave Gregory – guitars, keyboards, background vocals *Terry Chambers – drums, percussion, background vocals Technical *Steve Lillywhite – production *Hugh Padgham – engineering Cover versions * 1992 – Primus, Miscellaneous Debris * 1992 – Burning Heads, Burning Heads * 1995 – The Rembrandts, A Testimonial Dinner: The Songs of XTC * 1997 – Robbie Williams, Old Before I Die * 2001 – Al Kooper, Rare & Well Done * 2004 – Nouvelle Vague, Nouvelle Vague * 2010 – The Bad Shepherds, By Hook or By Crook Charts References External links * Category:1979 songs Category:1979 singles Category:XTC songs Category:Songs written by Colin Moulding Category:Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite Category:Songs about parenthood